Sermons by Vicar Brenda

Friday, January 27, 2017

Holy Hopes - Final Video Project

This video captures my thoughts and reflectionsfrom my journey to this land we call Holy, and completes all Cross-Cultural Experience requirements.

AMEN and ENJOY!January 2017.

Brenda L. Greenwald – A PLTS Pilgrim

FT-2203: Holy Land Immersion

Final Reflection: Full Video Script found below.

000 PILGRIM SIGN“Closed for Renovation....a spiritual guide of the....” HOLD ON. I’m not too comfortable with the idea of being CLOSED to anything. More like OPEN for renovation – renovation of my heart, renovation of my spirit as a traveller - a pilgrim, and certainly a renovation of my awareness of all that is happening in this land we call Holy.

001 CANDLESI need to back up a bit, and remember the candles Susan and I lit in the PLTS Chapel, before our pilgrimage even began. The songs and prayers we sang, and the light that would carry us through what was to be the journey of a lifetime.

003 SIGNThings were already changing upon our arrival, from the announcements on the plane to the writing on the signs: we had entered a new land - a land that greeted us with security checks and passport scans, and a land contested throughout the ages. Would we be questioned? Would we be welcomed? Time would tell.

004 MARYWE began where it ALL began: with the story of Mary and the angel that brought her the news of the baby growing inside of her. Water above, and water below...

004 TREE....and DEFINITELY some new ideas about what to do with that Nativity scene at church! Hmmm...IN the tree. Fascinating.

004 SYNAGOGUE Before we knew it, we were in the place of the Synagogue where Jesus had once unrolled the scrolls to read from the prophet Isaiah . Having JUST preached on this story in California, the earthly connection to our Savior was almost too much for me, and I rejoiced in getting to share this experience with my congregants, who had just heard this story themselves. JESUS had once been there ....and now, so were WE!

005 JAPANESEWith global depictions of Mary encircling the Basilica, I reflected on the importance this one woman has had in our religious heritage, and the immense burden AND privilege she held upon carrying our Savior into this world.

005 USAWhy, Mary, herself, is the subject of the 19th chapter of the Qur’an , weaving the Christian and Islamic story together, into one fabric. We visited other holy sites pertaining to Jesus’s birth...

006 GOLANAnd....some NOT so holy sites...

006 MINESMy discomfort inside the Golan Heights had less to do with the land mines that were still actively found throughout the countryside...

006.1 WATER...and more to do with the occupation of this Syrian territory by the Israeli forces since 1967 . Not that I approve of what is happening in Syria these days, but this land was taken under the pretense of “Biblical Israel ” and simply setting foot on the land made this pilgrim uneasy.

007 WINDOWHere we were, standing on the past and the present – old, stone windows everywhere. But just what was I looking at? Just what was I looking for!?

008 SHELLSFor me, it’s always a grounding in my call and my purpose, and I find that grounding in the promises of my baptism. Promises made to this Child of God and promises made to this Pastor of Flocks.

008 JORDANOr course, finding it at the River JORDAN was unavoidable!

008 BAPRe-affirming our OWN baptisms left us walking wet, with tears of joy

008 OTHERS Joy that was increased by the FIRST time baptism of people to our LEFT

008 OTHERS...and on our RIGHT.

008 COMMUNIONBeing able share with future congregations – Children’s Sermons! – the scene around us as we broke the bread and shared the cup? I won’t need the Bible text to help me remember the colors and the smells the SOUNDS of this space and place.

009 SEASo, too, was the water. THE Sea of Galilee. COUNTLESS miracles were performed ON and around this water....

009 FLAGSYet, I couldn’t shake the conflict that came upon seeing these two flags, side by side. One, which I greatly respect...and one that brings about emotions of frustration and helplessness. How can I reconcile the actions of the United States when they’ve worked alongside a country that has trampled the rights of the Palestinians? My answer has yet to come.

010 EILABOUNThe personal narratives from our leader, Pastor Gabi, regarding the massacres of his village folk, touched a deep nerve amongst us all...

011 GRAFFITI...as did the painted, signs of hope found throughout his village. HOPE does NOT disappoint . God continues to assure us of that.

013 DRUZESigns that gave us hope for women in the church,

013 FLOWERSAnd signs that Arabs, Jews, and Christians WANT to work, side by side.

014 MEDThe blues and hues of the Mediterranean Sea could never be captured in a photo...

014 ARCH...nor could the joy of experiencing this pilgrimage among friends.

017 KING DAVIDAnd then, our landscape changed once again.

017 FLAGSigns of Nationalism in Jerusalem were displayed...

CROWING VIDEO...as sounds of Biblical stories rang true .

017 WATEROur journey took us deep below in watery paths leading to the sites of miracles. I was able to read the John 9 Bible passage for our group when we all reunited, and I had to smile at the sad irony of a half-blind girl reading about the miraculous, restoration of sight. New perspectives, right ?

019 GARDENThe garden cave had us all scratching our heads, wondering just where does this city draw the line between religiosity and tourism. At the end of the day, I’ve realize it isn’t so much of an “X marks the spot for me”, but rather a chance to relive the story in, around, and under the narrative of Jesus – much like we believe when it comes to His Spirit at Holy Communion.

021 BREN PRAYThe agony of not being able to pray INSIDE the Garden of Gethsemane couldn’t stop this pilgrim from falling to her knees in prayer.

021 AGONYThe true agony of this Basilica, however, where Jesus fell to his knees in prayer, wasn’t so much the location, but that as Lutherans, we were denied a taste of the Eucharist by the Catholics. O Lord, have mercy, that one day we can all be united under one Lord, one faith, one baptism .

021 PATERThe joy of praying the Our Father in other languages was enhanced by our own Pastor Gabi (Arabic), Leader Peter (Hebrew), and fellow Pilgrim Guta, who lead us in the Ethiopian petitions.

023 LVCWe were reminded again and again, that WE weren’t the only people doing the watching. We were there to ACCOMPANY .

023 TRASHThe juxtaposition of the trash found on the streets, and the

023 POTTERY...beauty found inside the Lutheran Vocational center was appalling. How can a people who have so fiercely contested their LAND take so poor care of it!? I’m befuddled.

023 OVERLOOKBeing able to walk people through the story with physical landmarks and a renewed understanding will most certainly figure into future educational opportunities for this Pastor, and cannot HELP but shape our upcoming Lenten journeys.

024 TOMBAh, the tomb of Jesus. The LITERAL example of what I mentioned about being OPEN to renovation, and in this case DURING renovation

024 YADBut just as soon as we caught our breath, it was lost again at the horror of the Jewish children lost during the holocaust. Lord, have mercy.

HOLOCAUST MUSEUM VIDEO

026 POLISHBut this overlapping journey of pilgrims was upon us, site after site – most notably here with some Polish Pilgrims, who had sung along with us during our Carols around the Holy Manger. Ah, the power that music has to transcend language and barriers.

028 FALAFELWe ate up every part of the adventure we could...

028 DIS PAL...while learning about how Palestine itself was being devoured.

028 BETH LIGHTSThe sounds of our Islamic brothers and sister both shone and rang through the streets.

CALL TO PRAYER VIDEO

029 KEYYet, the past was never forgotten, as shown in this symbolic key , a key not unlike those the Palestinians once took with them, upon being forced to vacate their villages.

030 QUMRANThe stories of the past were discovered in Caves,

030 MINISTRYand are still shared throughout the world. My fellow pilgrims showed me again and again how ministry is but a shared responsibility, a cooperative endeavor.

030 DEAD SEANow, floating without assistance in THE SALTIEST water that you could ever imagine was BEYOND amusing at Dead Seas

031 ZACH TREEAs was coming across the trees of our past. And yes, we sang the Zacchaeus song on the bus, wee little man and all!

033 DESERTBut the song that continued to ring out for us all was that of the past, and how it continues to influence the future: how the deserts Jesus once crossed are like the deserts of the wandering refugees of today.

033 RETREATHow the retreat centers of the past remind us to take Sabbath time to heal.

033 NEW LIFEAnd how, even in the driest of places, new life is always springing forth.

033 GROUPFrom atop this desert landscape with friends....

034 BETH VIEW...to the cityscape of Bethlehem, we are forever reminded of this BOTH/AND world in which we live. Seeing BOTH the humble homes of Bethlehem AND the pristine Settlement in the distance.

035 SELFIEUnderstanding BOTH the joy of making new friends...

036 FLAGAND the reminder that the friends of this flag have very, little land.

037 MAYORWatching BOTH the pomp and circumstance of a local Christmas celebration...

037 SHOES...AND realizing you can wear those shoes while doing it!

038 SCOUTSScouts and square trees brought BOTH the hope of the nation to light...

039 REFUGEE...AND reminded us of the boys that never made it back home.

039 CHILDRENBOTH the joy of watching children adjust to their settings....

040 CHECKPOINT...AND the reality that they are always being watched. If you think this back and forth, emotional roller coaster has been hard to digest during this video, imagine being with the real people, LIVING this story of BOTH freedom AND oppression.

999 CANDLESSo now, as this journey now BEGINS, as it is FAR from concluding, I return to our original imagine: candles of light, candles of hope. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness WILL NOT overcome it. Amen.

FINAL PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chacour, Elias, and David Hazard. Blood Brothers: The Unforgettable Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel. Expanded ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2003.

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Brenda Lynn

I'm 39 years into what I would consider a delightful life. I'm active in my church and faith community, enjoyed a career that kept me young, and am surrounded by loving friends and family. God is good! My life is amusing, full of drama and laughter - I am thankful and blessed!